PREVALENCE AND ANTIMICROBIAL SUSCEPTIBILITY PATTERN OF GROUP A STREPTOCOCCAL ACUTE PHARYNGITIS AMONG PATIENTS AT PRIMARY HEALTH CENTRES, MISURATA, LIBYA
Noura Alhadi Shaklawoon, Chinnasamy Selvakkumar*, Abdulrahman Abdalla Allabidi, Rugaia Rajab Rafieda, and Rabia Mohamed Oraet
ABSTRACT
Pharyngitis remains to be one of the most common childhood illnesses around the world. Majority of the pharyngitis are caused by viruses, but about 20%–30% of cases in children are due to group A Streptococci (GAS), which is a significant cause of mortality and morbidity in the developing countries. The present study finds out the prevalence of acute pharyngitis caused by the GAS. A total of 156 throat swab samples were collected and inoculated on blood agar then, these isolates were identified by the standard microbiological procedures. Group A Streptococci were isolated from 14.7% (23/156) of pharyngitis patients and 8.3% (3/25) of the healthy carriers. Among the GAS isolates, 26.1% (6/23) were from males, whereas 73.9% (17/23) were from females. The highest prevalence of GAS rate was found in 4-9 years 60.9% (14/23). All the isolates were 100% sensitive to penicillin, whereas 21.7% and 8.7% isolates were resistant to tetracycline and erythromycin respectively.
Keywords: Group A Streptococcus; Pharyngitis; Prevalence; Resistance.
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